Atonement Part 1

Atonement starts off with a young girl named Briony trying to organize a play to show her brother Leon when he returns from college. She entitled it, "Trials of Arabella". Her cousins come to visit and she casts them all in the various roles but accidently gives the leading role to her elder cousin Lola. She is greatly disappointed because her two younger cousins, Jackson and Pierrot, really don't fit the profiles of the characters she has chosen for them to play. With all the frustrations she decides to cancel it altogether.

Cecilia, Briony's sister, is at a crossroads in her life. She has returned for college but is discontent and debates about leaving but for some reason always tells herself she needs to stay for various and untrue reasons. Robbie, the servant's son, and Cecilia have always been attracted to each other and have wierd tenson but they both refuse to admit it. One day Cecilia was trying to fill a valuable vase with water. Her and Robbie started to struggled with it and they eventually knocked it and broke a couple pieces off. Cecilia stripped down and retrieved the pieces and stormed off in frustration.

Leon returns home with a friend of his named Paul Marshall. Cecilia, her brother and his guest all sit around talking and getting to know each other. Leon tells Cecilia that he has invited Robbie over for dinner and she is livid because of what happened earlier. Robbie realizes how strong of feelings he has for Cecilia and decides to write her a letter telling her how he feels. He can't seem to find the right words and writes an explicit letter but then decides to write another one to give to her instead. He accidently gives Briony the wrong letter to give to Cecilia but instead Briony reads it and is appalled and refuses to give it to Cecilia. Robbie decides to confront Cecilia about the letter in the library but things got heated and they ended up having sex and Briony walked in.

Dinner was weird and awkward. The two twins asked to be dismissed from supper and after they departed Lola found a note. It stated that the twins were unhappy and were running away. Everyone created a search party and they all went out looking for the twins. Briony took her own route but instead found Lola on the ground and her sexual attacker running away. She assumed it was Robbie since he had been very sexual lately with Cecilia. Lola didn't see her attacker and was unsure. When they returned home Briony showed everyone the explicit letter and the police were called. Robbie was arrested and Cecilia was upset and annoyed.

Response:

I really love this book. I feel like it's on a whole new level. Even though Briony has some insight I much rather be reading from Cecilia's point of view. I feel like she's kind of unsure about what she wants in life which I can relate to. I hate that Robbie got arrested because I really don't think that he did it. I think that weird Paul guy did. I don't like him. I can't stand how Briony is always putting herself in other people's business and she thinks it's her right. However, Robbie was stupid for giving her any kind of letter to give Cecilia. He should have known to give it to her himself. That was asking for trouble on his part. I do think that Briony has given Robbie a terrible fate without any proof. The timing just sucked too because him and Cecilia finally expressed their true feelings for each other. I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next chapters!

Thanks for letting us read a book like this because most English teachers around here don't have the balls to. :)